Pricked by a Thorn
by hippycows
Summary: Then he met her. When Mako first saw Korra, he mistook her for an angel...and then she shot him. Could this "angel" not be as angelic as she seems? Suddenly, Mako and Bolin are introduced to bending...as lab rats. Fate isn't feeling very merciful. Rated T; -Makorra-
1. And Then They Met

_Good morning, afternoon, or evening wherever you are! :) First of all, no flames because no one likes those. Second of all, there's no second of alls except to read and enjoy...maybe even leave a review if you're feeling extra generous today._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra characters. _

* * *

Honestly, it was just another normal day of the life of the ever so interesting Mako. After college, Mako would stop by Starbucks, borrow the free wifi, and be on his merry way to the grocery store where he would sometimes meet up with his brother, Bolin. They always had a perfectly fun time tossing random ingredients into the cart. You see, neither of them didn't exactly know how to cook. None of their college friends knew how to really. So they would end up chucking stuff into a bowl and stuffing it into the microwave. It was either edible, or it wasn't.

Mako pushed the cart through the aisle, searching for something rather intently. Bolin was too, but it was more like a five year old searching for his lost puppy.

"Where's the damn tacos," Mako grumbled, "I swear it would be so much easier if they had an aisle specifically for tacos." The poor guy had been pushing the cart up and down the aisle for half an hour already.

Bolin clutched his stomach in a dramatic fashion. "Makoooo! Your brother's starving!"

"Dont be such a drama queen," Mako snapped.

Bolin knew not to get on his brother's bad side, especially when he was this cranky. Still Bolin stuck out his lip as if pouting in his own silent way.

Mako felt his phone buzz in his pocket followed by his loud ringtone, a rap sputtering curses every five seconds.

The mothers nearby looked at him disgustingly and covered the ears of their children. They muttered remarks like, "Young people these days," while pushing they're children away as if he had the plague.

Bolin jumped for the phone hysterically. "Turn off the phone, Mako!"

Mako shut the phone off quickly and gave a sheepish grin, "My bad!" He checked his phone. 1 missed call from Asami, it read. His phone buzzed again and he snickered as if boasting he had already turned the sound off. This time it wasn't a call but a text.

_Asami: Hey babe ;) what's up?_

_Mako: tacos_

_Asami ...you can't find them again?_

_Mako: ..._

_Asami: 3rd aisle -.-_

_Mako: Right_

_Asami: Omg! Guess what?_

_Mako: ...wut?_

_Asami: I lost 5 pounds! XD_

_Mako: How? Did you remove the make up from your face?_

_Asami: ..._

By this time, Mako had given up on the tacos after momentarily swearing under his breath.

"That would be $45.99," the cashier said dully.

It was at this time while Mako and Bolin were leisurely strolling through the parking lot, that Mako first met _her_. The girl who would change his life. He still doesn't know whether it was for the better or the worse.

Both of them, obviously unaware of each others existence, rushed smack into each other. The girl who ran into him, however, had so much strength that they both toppled down, the eggs in Mako's grocery bags giving out a loud crunching sound.

Bolin rushed to the eggs' assistance. "Mr. Egg! Are you okay? Speak to me!" He cried out. The eggs were obviously badly beaten when he opened the container. He closed it, as if he couldn't bear to see the body any longer. "You lived a good long life, Mr. Egg...well not very long but you were one fine egg."

"Pfft." Mako heard a giggle from the "guy" who ran into him.

They were suddenly aware of the other's existence. Mako's eye did a weird twitch. The dude runs into him, laughs at him, and goes around breaking another guy's eggs. Unforgivable.

Mako got ready to beat the crap out of the guy when his eyes met the girl's and he felt his arm go numb before his fist could reach her. Pools of blue met his eyes.

She had tan flawless skin, brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, and a petite but fit body. She wore a brown jacket with a white tang top underneath, ripped shorts, combat boots, and a hoodie wrapped around her waist. But for some reason, he felt like her sharp blue eyes could see right through him, like they were pulling him in.

"An angel," he whispered without thinking.

Korrra bounced to her feet. 'Damn. They're still after me' She thought.

To Mako's surprise, she rushed right past him. He was so startled in fact, that it took him a few seconds to snap back to reality and process what was going on. He couldn't help but feel a little irritated that a girl actually ignored him. After all, he should be able to get any girl with his looks and popularity.

Bolin looked her up and down, grinning cunningly. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Mako grabbed her arm, roughly but not too rough. "Hey, it's proper etiquette to apologize once you run into someone, you know."

Korra glanced back at him, startled. 'Great. I dont have time for this.' She yanked her arm back and ran away in a hurry. "Sorry!" She called back from behind her, "I'm kind of in a rush!"

As soon as she said this, a man with a mustache, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses rushed after her. Behind him were three other strong looking men in suits.

Korra hopped on her motorcycle, slipped on her black helmet and rode off, her pursuers chasing her from behind.

Mako jumped back in surprise. "What the hell?"

Bolin's jaw dropped. "Dude...did you just see what I saw?"

Mako turned around and pulled Bolin's arm, "Nope, _we_ didn't see anything."

Bolin let himself be dragged. "What're you talking about? We just saw that girl get chased!"

"So?" Mako grunted.

"We gotta help her!" Bolin exclaimed.

Mako furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't want to get his only brother in danger. "And it's none of our business," he tried to reply calmly.

Bolin pulled his arm away. "I don't care. That girl needs our help!" He made a mad dash towards the girl's chasers.

"Bolin!" He sighed, "Wait up! I'm coming!"

* * *

It was truly an amazing sight. The two boys had followed them until they stopped at a dark alleyway.

Bolin gulped. "This doesn't look too good."

Mako slapped his forehead. 'How did they get into this situation?'

They peaked around the corner, only to stumble back in astonishment. The three strong guys laid defeated on the ground, beaten to the pulp. And wait- hold on...was that...was she...bending water?!

Bolin's eyes turned into dinner plates. "What is she doing?!"

Mako was frozen. Not frozen in fear or astonishment, but she just looked so graceful bending the water...even if it was being used to beat up a guy at the moment. Or perhaps he wasn't thinking correctly. I mean, what kind of person can _bend_ water?

Korra twitched. It was a weird feeling. The feeling she got when she was being watched. She stopped her bending and spun around. Two guys stared blankly at her, their jaws dropped.

"Theres more of them?" She grumbled. Korra glared at them and raised her fist. She motioned to the bodies sprawled on the ground. "Are these scumbags your accomplices? If you dare lie to me, I'll have them do a full background check on you."

Bolin swung his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "N-No! We're just innocent bystanders! We're as harmless as butterflies!" He flailed his arms around as if they were wings.

The girl's response was a simple raise of her eyebrow. She looked closer at them. "Ah! You're that guy from the supermarket!"

"And I'm the guy you ran over," Mako reminded her dully.

Korra quickly put away her fist as a sign of respect. "Ahaha," She laughed weakly, "Sorry about that."

Silence filled the air. This wasn't exactly the best situation to be in. Besides, they had discovered her secret.

Korra muttered a curse under her breath, not sure at what she should do. "You...saw me?" She breathed.

They both nodded, dumbfounded.

She sighed, letting her shoulders sag. "Great," Korra mumbled, "I've gone and messed up big time again. Tenzins really gonna lecture me now.." She went on mumbling to herself.

Mako realized they were still in a dangerous position, threatened by the presence of this girl way shorter than him. "Bolin," he whispered, elbowing him in the ribs, "We gotta get away."

Korra rustled through her bag. "Guess there's only one option then. Sorry guys but, you know, orders are orders."

"Shit," Mako muttered as he saw her pull out a gun.

"Don't shoot!" Bolin went on," I'm a young man in his youth! I would prefer a long life without a bullet in my head...please?" He clasped his hands together in a pleading manner.

Korra pointed the gun at them, "Listen up. I don't have time to explain but you won't die from this bullet. Everything will be explained when you wake up. Now then-" She pulled the trigger. "Try not to scream too loudly."

BAM! BAM!

Mako fell back, his vision getting blurry. He knew he wasn't dying but he didn't know what was gonna happen to him and his brother. There was only one thing running through his mind.

'This chick...is crazy.'

* * *

_And before you get all confused, no. Mako and Bolin are not dead and everything will be explained in the second chapter where it starts getting exciting. The first chapter is kind of a chill chapter to get you into the flow of things. Btw, this is my first so if there's any mistakes, advice would be helpful. :)_

_-hippycows_


	2. Shit happens

_Thanks for the reviews guys! :) Here's the next chapter._

* * *

Mako groaned as the pain shot through his head.

'So...dark' He thought. He felt light-headed and it took him a moment to realize he first had to open his eyes. Why were his eyelids so heavy?

Drugged. That crazy chick with unnatural strength had drugged him.

Instead of being welcomed by streams of light, his eyes took in the sight of a dim-lighted, unfamiliar metal room. There was a large window at the front of the room. The glass was dark on the outside, but he knew he was being watched. What scared him, however, wasn't the unfamiliar room, but the fact that the doors were locked.

He tried banging, kicking, punching, or just plain charging at the door full strength. But it wouldn't budge.

His knees buckled and his fists started to bleed at the knuckles, until finally, he had to give up. Hopefully, his brother had escaped and would come to rescue him. Now that was a scary thought.

It seemed only the warmth of his precious red scarf could comfort him now.

The metal door suddenly opened and three men walked in, silently but with a professional feel to them.

Mako peered up from his position at the unfamiliar faces. "Who are you, where am I, and what do you want from me?" Mako spat out bitterly.

Two of the men stood guard at the door and the last man Mako seemed to recognize as one of the respected city councilmen. What did Councilman Tenzin have to do with this mess?

"Careful sir," One of the guards spoke up respectfully, "Perhaps you should keep your distance."

The councilman raised his hand. "It's all right. This boy here isn't a criminal."

Mako was surprised at how kind his voice sounded. The man had tall broad shoulders, a shaven head with a light brown beard, and light blue eyes with a few wrinkles along the forehead and eyes.

"I understand you're confused right now, and I promise I'll answer all of your questions," Tenzin said. It was best to explain to the boy calmly and carefully.

"Well then, who are you?" Even if this man looked kind, Mako had to be on his guard.

Tenzin cleared his throat in a business like manner. "I am Tenzin, part of the United Republic Council, here to ensure safety and help Republic City become a better place-"

"Then why did you _kidnap_ me?" Mako cut in.

Tenzin scratched the back of his head. "Well...it seems you've caught one of our own in the middle of something not released to the public..."

"One of our own?"

Tenzin sighed, " Please, let me explain. Right now we're located in a secret base right under the City Council building. My father Aang, the founder of Republic City, was the first to discover bending. Through a series of meditation he received this bending and was granted the power of bestowing it upon others worthy of it. Some call him 'the Avatar'."

'Aang' Mako thought. His parents used to tell him stories about Aang and his friends who united the Nations creating the United Republic of Nations, the capital where Mako lives today, Republic City. That was until his parents- Mako shook his head. It was a memory he preferred not to remember.

"Come," Tenzin lent him a hand, "Let me show you around."

Mako was stunned by the sudden information and it took a while to process it all. He surprised himself when he let the man help him up and lead him down the maze of hallways. There were plenty of rooms and the place looked very normal and tidy to be called a secret base. One wouldn't think it was a secret base at all. Though he guessed thats what made it a secret base in the first place.

Tenzin eventually led him to one of the largest rooms in the base, the training area. "Here is where we train future candidates into the world of bending. We hope to select a good role model that'll appeal to the audience and show them how great bending is and how helpful it'll be for our society…I know its a lot to take in, but I'm speaking the truth."

Mako pressed his hand against the training room window as Tenzin continued to talk. Inside he could see a girl training, her fists pounding against the punching bag. Drops of sweat fell down her face, her tang top already drenched. It was probably the familiarity in her eyes that he recognized her so fast. He watched her practice her skills, how the movement of her arms matched the water that seemed to dance with her movements. He pointed out the girl, "She's the girl from before…she must be one of those benders, right?"

"Yes," Tenzin replied with another sigh, "That girl…always giving me trouble. However, she happens to be one of our best students. Her name is Korra. It seems she's the next "Avatar" since my father died. One who can bend all the elements: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water." Tenzin grumbled, "She still has one more element she's yet to master though."

"Korra, huh?" He smirked. She was an interesting girl. His eyes narrowed as he remembered something important. "And where do my brother and I come in?"

Tenzin replied, "Well we can't have you exposing this matter to the public, especially since you've seen so much already."

"So you're just going to keep us locked up in here like prisoners?" Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be so demanding with the person keeping you hostage, but then again, he did have a life to return to thank you very much.

"We want to invite you to become one of us, a bender."

* * *

Mako picked at the food with his spoon. The soup was bubbling over with mysterious liquids and he wasn't sure if it was food or poison anymore. His eye finally twitched in irritation. 'How did I end up in this situation?!'

_-flashback-_

_"Hell no," Mako answered bluntly._

_Tenzin looked taken back. "Excuse me?"_

_"I'm not gonna become one of the government's little 'guinea pigs'. Hell no," he responded._

_They both engaged into a twenty second stare down until Tenzin broke it with a light chuckle. "I have to say, you're the first one to reject my offer."_

_"I'm not like most people then," Mako said with a sneer._

_"Unfortunately, we don't take no for an answer."_

_Mako blinked. "Huh?"_

_-end of flashback_-

...And then he ended up being tossed into a room full of strangers by a man three times his size. Not to mention, the soup had turned into a disgusting green color and...did he just see something move?

A bead of sweat nervously made its way down his forehead. He glanced to his left. A group of foolish guys attempted to start a fight by earth bending a plate of food into a guy's face. It was like he was back in his college cafeteria. Though this wasn't exactly the most normal situation. Scratch that. It definitely was abnormal.

Mako shook his head, pretending not to have seen anything. He sneakily glanced to his right. "Korra" he remembered her name was.

She sat at the guys' table grinning and probably talking about her latest bending technique. It seemed she just arrived from her workout so she was still in her tang top and sweatpants that tucked into her boots. "I mean, I guess I _could_ give you guys a few more tips." She rubbed her elbow sheepishly. "Don't know if I'll be any help though."

The guys all crowded around her, sputtering remarks of praise with Korra responding with a spoiled, "Oh, don't flatter me."

Mako did a full out eye roll at all the guys trying to "accidently" brush against her.

A guy with pale skin, dark wavy hair, and- Mako squinted. 'Was he...wearing eyeliner?'

Mako watched as the eyeliner man reached out his pale, bony fingers and grabbed her slender wrist.

"Oh no," the man said rather seductively, "You're a *big* help. Why don't I repay the favor?" He pulled Korra closer. "You know, if you'd like to know how a real pro bends, I can give you some 'private lessons'."

Her normal cheerful demeanor quickly changed into a rage of anger and she forcefully yanked her hand away. "Private lessons? You're saying you're a better bender than me?"

Mako slapped a hand against his forehead. He ended up suppressing a snort of laughter upon thinking this was really the girl who kidnapped him.

'She's so thick-headed' he thought while watching her with an unusual new found interest.

The pale man threw back his head and laughed. The curls in his hair bounced as if they were laughing along with him.

"That isn't exactly what I meant, but yes. I *have* come in first place in all the pro-bending games after all," he answered with a flick of his hair. "Does the name Tahno ring a bell? The higher ups are thinking of making me the representative of the bending community for the public," he smirked, "Looks like your little 'Avatar' powers won't work this time. After all, you can't even master air bending."

By now, the room had fallen silent. Talking ceased and the guys fooling around had stopped in the middle of throwing a guy into the air with a kick of their earth bending technique. Everyone watched them intently. It wasn't time to gossip about the higher ups, how bad she failed her bending test, complaining about the missions they were sent out on, or even about the pro-bending games.

Korra was backed into a corner, Tahno's presence becoming too intimidating. But Korra wasn't a girl to back down easily. Her eyes narrowed into slits and her bottom lip stuck out as a sign she wasn't oppressed by her opponent.

"Bastard," She spat out in his face. It wasn't much of a comeback, but the word had been replaying in her head out of absolute anger and she just happened to blurt it out. "You know Tenzin won't let me participate in the pro-bending tournaments! If I did, I would have kicked your ass."

Even though Mako was a few feet away, he could see the bad signals she was sending out from her eyes. There was one thing Mako could never understand about women and that was how scary they could become when they were mad. He didn't know how Tahno managed to reply.

"Why don't you try? You won't be able to touch even a hair on my head," Tahno daringly said. Their faces were so close in the heat of their anger, they could even hear each other breathe.

Mako stood up. He didn't know what he was thinking and he probably would never know why, but he had a bad feeling and he tended to go with his gut feeling. And his gut feeling sent him walking over to the very girl who had kidnapped him.

"You're going down twinkle toes," Korra replied through gritted teeth.

"We'll see about that...if you can even get someone to join you. You need two more people to compete with you, remember?"

Everyone resumed to their daily activities upon hearing this. Sure, they wouldn't mine pairing up with Korra, but it was a living nightmare to get on Tahno's bad side. Every match he had been at in the pro-bending games, the opponents always were severely injured. Tahno and his team fought dirty. This was a well-known fact.

Korra knew they were intimidated by him, but that made her even more determined to fight against him. However, she still needed someone who would also stand up with her.

It was then she caught sight of the familiar red scarf. She didn't know what drew her attention to it, but it did and she recognized it. The scarf drew her to his golden eyes and her heart acted on its own and began to speed up against her own will. Overall, she could tell his handsome features probably had all the girls falling for him. However, Korra wasn't like other girls.

She yanked the red sweater, catching Mako by surprise and pulling him along with her. She flashed him a quick, apologetic grin. "This guy has volunteered to participate with me," Korra said quickly before Mako could protest.

Mako gave her a blank stare. "I what now?"

Korra pulled the scarf, momentarily choking him, and basically telling him to shut up.

"Okay, I am!" Mako gasped with the last of his breath. The pull was loosened and Mako sucked in air in ragged breaths. "Is she even female?" And that was probably the worst thing he could ever say.

Korra's ears picked up his unnecessary comment. She shot him her worst death glare and the lasers in her eyes seemed to burn holes into his head.

A cold chill passed over him and Mako seemed to turn into rock solid ice as she flashed him her glare.

"Thanks for volunteering," she slyly said. The irritation of his last comment was still clearly shown on her face.

Mako had to accept life was just gonna keep throwing shit in his face.

* * *

The referee patted his sweat away with his damp handkerchief. "You sure nobody followed you?"

Tahno's figure leaned against the wall of the dimly lighted hallway. "I'm sure. Now I've given you the money, so keep your end of the deal."

The other man nervously fumbled with the blue striped handkerchief and shoved it in his pocket. "I swear if I'm caught doing this, I don't even know what'll happen to me. My job is on the line here!"

Tahno seemed to roll his eyes in the dark. "Nobody'll find out." He stepped into the light. "All you have to do is make sure Korra and her team loses the pro-bending games."

* * *

_So Tahno has come into the story already~ Awww poor Bolin didn't show up this chapter, but he does in the next one! If you like the story, leave a review. If you don't, no flames. Just be all like "I strongly dislike this story with a passion" and click on a different story. Woahh Final Exams coming up! Might be busy, but I'll post as soon as I can._

_-hippycows_


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